Movie reviews and other nonsense

The movie 'Junebug' finally came out here, so like a good little moviegoer I went to see it right away. I can probably trace the demise of my financial state directly to my movie habit. Anyway, that's beside the point. The point is, it was a really good movie. It's not really the type you need to see in the theatre - a DVD and a living room couch will do just fine - but I thought it was quite swell just the same. For those not into the indie thing, Junebug is about a husband and wife who, six months after they get married (having tied the knot a week after they met), go to visit the husband's family in South Carolina. The wife is the sophisticated owner of an art gallery, and although it's unclear as to what nationality she is supposed to be, she is played by British actress Embeth Davitz (evil lady in Bridget Jones' Diary), and thus has a British accent. We can see where this is going. But the movie is not as obvious as my description makes it seem; it's funny, sad, poignant, and honest about what we do and do not know about the people we're in relationships with, both romantic and familial. So, if you can afford it, I recommend going to the theatre to see it, and if not, it will make an entertaining DVD rental.

I just finished reading 'Willful Creatures' by Aimee Bender and am now on to 'Assassination Vacation' by Sarah Vowell. 'Willful Creatures', a collection of short stories, was sometimes a bit too surreal for my taste - I always feel like I need to figure out all the symbolism and try to decipher what the author is really trying to say, instead of just taking it for what it is, an enjoyably surreal, nonsensical story. But I just can't do it, I tell ya! Anyway, 'Assassination Vacation' is very Sarah Vowell-ish, in that it can be a little difficult to follow the narrative arc of her essays, what with all her (what she terms) shenanigans. This is where, every few sentences, she goes off on a tangent and sometimes it takes her awhile to wind back around to the original thought again. But she is very funny and liberal and acerbic, so I will sit back and enjoy it. (Also she admits in the book that she is a fellow driving-phobe - I am not alone!)

Well, I guess that's pretty much it for this time. I just found out today that my start date at the new job has been pushed back to September 12, so I'm kind of in a holding pattern until then. The most important thing I must do right now is not spend any money, which is so damn difficult when you've nothing else to do. Paradoxically, since I found out about this job I feel like all of my time has been sucked away and I don't have a single minute to spare - my bathroom needs cleaning and there's a pile of unfolded laundry on my bed, but somehow I've not been able to get around to completing these tasks. (Yet I found a way to take an hour-long nap this afternoon and write this blog post...hmmm.)